Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Anybody still here?
Ya you are, I can see you still checking in for some odd reason.

My last post a million years ago, was about how I have embraced a vegan diet and I added a photo of a delicious skillet full of pasta.
Now here I am, still on a vegan diet and still eating that same roasted vegetable pasta dish basically every night for dinner. I guess the only right thing to do would be to share that recipe with you...except I don't really have a recipe so much as a list of ingredients and vague instructions. I refuse to be categorized as a food blogger, so if I just give really crappy instructions on delicious food I feel like that takes that title off of me while still giving me some street cred. My head is a really weird place, and this plan somehow makes sense up there.

For starters, you just need a bunch of vegetables to roast. Roasting vegetables makes them so much more flavorful and delicious, and you can really use any variety for this dish.
I pretty much always use eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and sometimes some butternut squash. I would throw in other types but, no sulfate veggies diet and all; so this is what I'm left with.
Just chop them all up, toss them with some evoo, salt, oregano, rosemary, basil or whatever. Garlic could be thrown in there too I guess if you don't live in a sad garlicless world like me. I also sprinkle in some ground mustard and cayenne pepper for a little extra flavor. You absolutely need some cherry tomatoes in there though, don't skip those. Roasted tomatoes are the best flavor tomatoes can offer us and they also create a base for your sauce, so don't be skimpy with them.

Cook in a 425ish degree oven for a couple hours. Yes I do mean hours, it's why I'm usually eating dinner at nine o'clock; but it's also easy and hands off so do it right when you get home from work and go about your business for a bit and then voila. It's worth it I promise.

When the veggies are nearly done and turning crispy and brown and smelling up the house with deliciousness, get started on the pasta. 

I use Tolerant red lentil pasta pretty exclusively these days. It is made of a hundred percent lentils, tastes just like regular pasta and is full of protein. Much preferred over rice pasta. Plus, it seems to absorb flavor a lot better.

Once you've boiled your pasta all up, stir in a light sprinkle of olive oil, some seasonings, and tomato paste. You don't need to much of a sauce situation, because the veggies have so much flavor. I will sometimes, if I'm not too lazy, sauté some tomatoes on the stove until they get saucy; but I will still add a little tomato paste to thicken it up.

Mix your veggies into your noodles, and you are set!
Literally about ten minutes total hands on time, despite it taking hours to complete.

If you squint real hard, it kinda tastes like pizza. ;)


Enjoy!
xoxo